Design Support Services

SMART RESEARCH THAT INSPIRES GREAT DESIGN

What is Good Design? Great design provides an elegant solution to the task it addresses. It effortlessly, artfully communicates its purpose, its features and their functionality. For the intended user, a good design is like a personal discovery: a pleasing surprise that invites interaction.

A good design generates demand; a good design creates value.

A good design is the surprising offspring of inspired thinking and smart research.

An Integrated Approach For over 15 years we have provided smart research that helps inspire great design. We have developed research techniques that are specifically tailored to each stage of the design process, beginning with design objectives and carrying through to the framing of a compelling marketing program.

The Informed Category Participant We have multiple approaches for conducting research in support of a design/creative brief and each one is structured to provide an in-depth competitive assessment of attribute/benefit delivery, perceived functionality/usability, involvement and appeal. At this stage in the process, we focus on the informed category participant – current users and committed near-term intenders. Click here for more information.

Communication & Interpretation When working with a new design option or working prototypes, we focus on communication and interpretation: the ability of the design to establish a meaningful and valued connection with the intended user. We have developed a series of structured interview protocols that probe the intended user’s full range of cognitive and emotional responses to the prototype design. Click here for more information.

Marketing Strategy If the design exercise has centered on the development of a logo, a label or a new package, then identifying the most promising concept may be the final stage in the process. But if the effort has revolved around the design of a new product, a service or a retail environment – something that requires a public introduction and an engaging presentation – then development of a compelling marketing strategy is next step in the process. Click here for more information.